From The Archives: Paris in 2009

I made these drawings over 3 years ago, on a family trip to Paris. My blog didn't exist back then, so I never posted the art. Stumbling on these drawings makes me nostalgic for the favorite city. Maybe it's time to revisit...p.s. 3 years can be a very long time.

Notre Dame

Sacré-Cœur

Notre Dame

Rehearsing Obama's Inauguration 2013

It was a milky Sunday morning of January 13th, the last day of the winter drawing session with Dalvero Academy in Washington DC. The fog was so heavy that it erased tops of buildings and trees. We arrived at the Botanical Gardens on the National Mall, but something was happening over to the left, by the Capitol. Loud orchestral music and baritone reverberating announcements cut through the fog with bright and optimistic grandeur. Morning runners and dog walkers, together with tourists, huddled by the fence surrounding the Capitol courtyard, photographing and filming on their phones. To our great surprise, what we stumbled upon was a rehearsal of the presidential inauguration!

White chairs in perfect symmetry on an otherwise empty lawn, two of the 5 flags up under the Capitol dome, police officers scattered here and there, tiny figures moving along balconies of the building, a few reporters with big cameras, and soldiers in long lines. The baritone announcer introduced Beyonce as the singer of the National Anthem, and solders straightened up in salute.

This was an amazing opportunity to draw a historical event...I don't think I could ever get this close to the Capitol on an actual inauguration day. It's coming up this Monday, January 21st, after the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama is sworn in on Sunday.

Bartholdi Park in Washington DC

Also known as the Secret Garden, Bartholdi Park in DC is a picturesque and serene oasis of colors, textures and shapes. It's hidden behind the Botanical Gardens on the National Mall, with the Capitol peaking in the distance. While on a drawing trip with Dalvero, we happened upon a rehearsal of the presidential inauguration at the Capitol on that same day...but that's in my next post.